For Immediate Release:

Friday, December 6, 2019

Featuring Google, LinkedIn, Hulu and Enpass

As we head into the holiday season and toward the New Year, subscription companies are making big moves. To prepare for the California Consumer Privacy Act, which will go into effect in January, Google is allowing websites and apps the ability to block personalized ads. Last weekend, Hulu made the most of the holiday shopping season by offering a screaming deal on its streaming video on demand service. Also in the news, Enpass is moving to a subscription model but promises to honor past ‘Pro’ purchases, streaming music services are on the most wanted list (are you listening, Santa?), and LinkedIn shares top subscription jobs.

Google to Allow Websites & Apps to Block Personalized Ads to Comply with CCPA

Google is making proactive changes in anticipation of California Consumer Privacy Act's January 2020 effective date, reports CPO Magazine. In fact, in November, Google said it would allow websites and apps to block personalized ads to comply with CCPA. CCPA is California's version of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which requires companies to clearly and conspicuously disclose when, how and why it will use consumers' personal data. It must also provite opt-out opportunities for consumers to say they don't want their data used. GDPR applies to all companies who do business with customers in the EU, even if the company itself isn't located there.

CCPA is a little different. It does not apply to companies outside of California, but some, like Google, are erring on the side of caution and attempting to comply in time for the deadline. Here's how CCPA will work. If a consumer clicks on a link that says "do not sell my information," that site or app may not collect personal data, nor use personal data to tailor ads to that customer. 

According to CPO Magazine, procedurally speaking, publishers and advertisers' lives won't change dramatically. They will still get analytics, measurement tools and conversion tracking. The only thing that will change is that, when customers say they don't want their information sold or shared, publishers and advertisers have to switch to contextual ads rather than personal ones. What will change, however, is marketing strategy. If publishers and advertisers can no longer personalize ads, they may lose out on valuable revenue, including Google. This could be a potentially huge problem for publishers and advertisers who aren't prepared.

Learn more about how this will work and the impact on publishers and advertisers at CPO Magazine. 

Hulu Offers Screaming Black Friday Deal

Hulu offered a screaming Black Friday deal, good through Cyber Monday. During that time, new subscribers could get Hulu for $1.99 a month for 12 months. That’s a $4 per month savings, or $48 a year. The $1.99 plan is the ad-supported plan, so new subscribers will have to tolerate a few ads

here and there. After the 12 months are up, subscribers revert to the standard rate of $5.99 per month plan.

This deal seemed almost too good to be true, so I signed up myself – about mid-morning on Cyber Monday. I thought the deal would have already expired, or I’d get kicked out by bots, but I was able to sign up. I hate ads, but I accept the trade-off in exchange for the price.

So why would Hulu offer such a deeply discounted streaming service? To introduce people to their streaming service as the competition heats up and to get the opportunity to upsell Hulu subscribers on other options including their own, upgraded plans like the commercial free plan at $11.99 a month or the Hulu Live TV plan, starting at $44.99 a month. During the sign-up process, subscribers are also offered the opportunity to sign up for add-ons like Showtime or HBO.

Hulu used its deal as a loss leader in exchange for other subscription revenue opportunities. That’s a great deal in my book!

 

Enpass Moves to a Subscription Model But Will Honor Prior ‘Pro’ Purchases

Two weeks ago password management app Enpass announced it would be moving away from one-time purchases to a subscription model. Existing "Pro" users are considered "paid up" and will not have to subscribe. Enpass will honor those prior purchases. Pro members will also now be able to use Enpass on platforms different than the one where they made the initial purchase. And, if you are a trial user, you can still make that one-time purchase prior to the subscription transition and the company will honor the same terms.

There are several reasons for the change. First, users often have Enpass downloaded to multiple devices and platforms, which means they have to pay for each download. That can be confusing for users. With a subscription, the onboarding process will be simpler and users can use the same settings across all devices. Enpass also admits that a subscription model makes their company more sustainable in the long-term. 

"We’ll not shy away from the fact that this will make our business more sustainable especially as our company scales up further. It is undeniable that the subscription model is a well-accepted global practice adopted by most businesses, including indie developers, app publishers, as well as legacy software giants like Microsoft and Adobe.

"A good software costs money and a subscription helps sustain the creator/developer while offering constant value to the customer. Enpass, as a product focused on online security, requires extensive work with security experts as well as regular third-party audits to safeguard your data and digital security. The subscription will allow us to keep improving the experience with the latest platform innovations along with delivering new features and functionalities.

"As they say, it’s a win-win," said Enpass in their announcement.

Enpass also stressed that they will continue to do business the way they have in the past. They will not store passwords in the cloud. 

"The core architecture will remain the same – Enpass would continue to be an offline password manager and we would never store your data on our servers in any way. You can continue using Enpass with the same trust and assurance as always," Enpass said.

Enpass will share additional subscription details as they become available.

Streaming Music Subscriptions Are on Most Wanted Subscription List 

We aren’t sure if subscriptions are on Santa’s list, but if they are, streaming music subscriptions are on the most wanted list, according to a MusicWatch survey. The online survey, which polled more than 1,200 between the ages of 13 and 39 who don't subscribe to any service, asked which three services they'd be willing to pay for when given a range of options that included entertainment, food delivery and personal care, among other topics. Respondents were asked to choose services they would really use the most and to disregard cost.

Here are the results:

• 44% said they would choose streaming music services like Spotify or Apple Music
• 42% said streaming video services like Netflix or Hulu
• 23% said Amazon Prime
• 9% said SriusXM

In a related report from the second quarter of 2019, MusicWatch said that 183 million Americans over the age of 13 are now streaming music, a 14% increase over the same period the year before. Of those 183 million, about 125 million are using a paid service with only 68 million actually paying for those services (the remainder are accessing the ad-supported tier of the services.

MusicWatch estimated that YouTube is getting the biggest market share at 30% of weekly listening. Next was Spotify at 24%, followed by Pandora at 17%. Apple and Amazon's music services each represented about 6%. Read more about Americans' streaming music consumption on Billboard.

LinkedIn: Top Subscription Jobs 

Are you ready for a change? Want to start the New Year off with a new job? LinkedIn has some top subscription jobs to check out. Here are a few we found intriguing.

Director, Subscription Jobs
The Inman Company
Indiana County, PA

Inman is seeking a Director, Subscriptions to join our leadership team and play a key role in pursuing our ambitious growth objectives for 2020 and beyond. Since launching in 2014, our digital news subscription offering, Inman Select, has captured the attention of hundreds of thousands of industry professionals. This position will be responsible for growing and retaining that audience and continuing to build upon this best-in-class subscription product. This is a full-time, remote position. Read more.

Subscription Retention Specialist
Thomson Reuters
Eagen, MN

The primary role of the Print Subscription Retention Associate is to increase retention of print and related revenue through customer interactions. A majority of interactions involve adding value to customer conversations to help retain subscriptions or convert print into contracts. Duties include: achieve individual retention and subscription conversion and contract renewal goals on a monthly basis, resolve customer inquiries received via phone, mail, or email in an accurate and timely manner, maintain a working knowledge of company products, special sales programs and marketing efforts... Read more.

Subscription Program Manager
IMVU
Redwood, CA

Reporting to the Senior Merchandising and Promotions Manager, this position will be responsible for developing the strategy, vision, and will own the marketing roadmap for IMVU's subscription business lines. You will work closely with Product Management and Design in preparing product and business requirements to build and test customer facing materials. You will be responsible for collaborating with User Acquisition, Marketing and Customer Support for the customer facing elements. Read more.

Subscription Fulfillment Coordinator
Farmshelf
Brooklyn, NY

We are looking for a talented, energetic, and committed individual to be the Subscription Fulfillment Coordinator for the Plant / Field Operations team. Some previous experience with fulfillment is ideal. This role will act as seedmaster for the company and help to evolve our fulfillment processes. This individual will execute customer subscriptions consisting of plant seed pods and nutrients as well as maintain inventory of all supplies. This individual should be able to learn, adapt, and roll with a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and who isn’t afraid of uncertainty. We are looking for a strong communicator and a get-it-done working style. Read more.

Subscription Manager
DocuSign
Seattle, WA

The Subscription Manager is responsible for the vendor services including technical and non-technical support experts with possible expansion into other lines of business. They will have accountability of the service levels across multiple workflows and partner with internal teams to ensure SLAs are meet. The Vendor Support Manager would also manage vendor service escalations and ensure appropriate resolution. They are expected to own service metrics and contribute to monthly business reviews. The ideal candidate should possess strong account management skills and be a proven people leader. Managing workflows and participating continuous improvement initiatives will be essential. Read more.

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